


Leap of Faith

by theDah



Series: Tumblr prompts / events [9]
Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Gen, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 09:45:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16910622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theDah/pseuds/theDah
Summary: “No, I won’t allow it. You were left to my care for a reason.”“But grandpaa!!!” Misao whined, giving him her best puppy dog eyes. “This is the best lead we have gotten in years.”





	Leap of Faith

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Women of Rurouni Kenshin Week 2016, published in Tumblr at the time and now finally cross-posted here. :)
> 
> Women of Rurouni Kenshin Week, Day 4 - Misao  
> Prompt: Tenacity  
> Characters: Misao Makimachi, Okina / Nenji Kashiwazaki, mentions of others  
> Setting: Canon, prequel of sorts to manga chapter 62  
> Word count: 1251  
> Notes: Thank you @chierafied for fixing my grammar mishaps. As always, your help is invaluable. <3

“No, I won’t allow it. You were left to my care for a reason.”

“But grandpaa!!!” Misao whined, giving him her best puppy dog eyes. “This is the best lead we have gotten in years.”

“A lead?” Okina huffed. “It’s just a rumor, nothing more. Do you think this is the first time those who lurk outside the law have assumed false nicknames and grand titles? Just a few months ago, someone claimed to be Hitokiri Battousai and used that name to terrorize Tokyo. I wouldn’t be surprised if this Okashira turned out to be a fake as well. After all, what would Aoshi-sama benefit from working as a merchant’s bodyguard?”

“But, but…” Misao bit her lip, “Why use our titles? Okashira is the leader of Oniwabanshu. There is no great fame attached to it, not for ordinary people. Besides, why couldn’t Aoshi-sama work for a merchant? Maybe he is gathering funds, or spying for him or something.”

“Oh, Misao… I wish it were so. I truly do.” Okina sighed sadly, looking older and frailer than she had ever seen him. “But we can’t chase empty dreams. Please, let Aoshi go. There is no future for you waiting for him.”

The words were like a slap in her face and Misao inhaled sharply, looking aside. Her hands clenched into fist in her lap, and she bowed low… “May I go, please?”

“Yes,” Okina murmured, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

Misao closed her eyes and slowly climbed to her feet. However, as she left, she heard Okina-san’s assistant, Kurojo-san whisper, “she doesn’t know when to give up, does she?”  

 

* * *

 

As the old Master’s granddaughter and the adopted granddaughter of the current leader, Okina, Misao had lived well, learning all the tricks of the ninja trade: to fight and steal as well as the proper manners expected from an innkeeper’s heir. Though she had worked hard and excelled in leading the double life of the Kyoto Oniwabanshu, she couldn’t help feeling that she could do more.

She was liked and favoured by all in the Aoiya, and she loved her adopted family, she truly did… but to them, she was the young Misao, the little girl they all doted on. They didn’t rely on her, well, for anything. Her duties were simple and never truly tested her skills.

It hadn’t been this frustrating before – but then the pigeon had carried the rumors from Tokyo, rumours about this Okashira.

Aoshi-sama and his subordinates: Hannya, Shikijo, Hyottoko and Beshimi… their absence was like a gaping wound in her side. She missed them, all five of them. They were her important people, cherished members of her family, and having to watch them go those years ago had been the most miserable moment of her life.

Was it wrong that she wanted them back?

Misao huffed, kicking her shadow on the ground.

True, she didn’t remember much of the arguments between Okina-san and Aoshi-sama, or why Aoshi-sama had felt the need to leave, but… it had been years since then. Surely by now enough time had passed for their tempers to cool down.

Pursing her lips into a pout, Misao huffed and glanced at the sun. It was nearly midday, which meant that most of the pigeons would have returned. The Oniwabanshu’s network of contacts and spies covered an impressive number of villages and provinces alongside the important trade routes and they sent frequent updates.

Maybe there would be news from Tokyo?

Misao perked up, a slow smile spreading on her lips.

 

* * *

 

“Are you quite sure Okina-san sent you? Usually he sends Kurojo-san or Shirojo-san….”

“Oh, he sure did!” Misao nodded enthusiastically. “You see, grandpa has given me more responsibilities lately!”

“Well,” the pigeon handler hedged, “I guess it makes sense. Here.” He gave the small bundle of messages to her. “But remember, they are for Okina-san’s eyes only.”

“Thank you! I’ll take them to him right away!” Misao bowed to him and pressed the bundle to her chest. Waving cheerfully at him, she skipped to the tower ladders and climbed down.

However, the second she was out of eyesight, she sobered and sorted through the coded messages, searching for… Aha! There was the one from Tokyo! The tiny scroll found it’s way to her sleeve pocket, before she headed off to deliver the rest.

 

* * *

 

Misao waited until the night to read the stolen message.

The inn had been silent for a long while, when she finally lit up her candle and started to decipher the coded message in the safety of her own room.

The thing about Oniwabanshu codes was that all the informants used relatively similar systems and Misao, well… Misao had grown up on Okina-san’s knee. She wasn’t meant to know the codes. As a safety measure, only Okina-sama knew all of them, but Misao knew enough to piece together the key for this routine message.

As she had thought, for all that Okina had disputed Aoshi-sama’s connection to this Okashira… he had still requested more information from their Tokyo spy.

According to the note, Okashira had been working for a merchant Takeda Kanryuu, guarding him and his opium operation. However, just a few days ago police had arrested Kanryu and seized all his assets. The Okashira had disappeared in the aftermath.

Misao cringed, gnawing on her bottom lip. That sounded bad. Terrible actually. Aoshi-sama wasn’t the sort of a man who’d help such a scum. He had been respected and feared, the genius ninja who had guarded the Edo castle. To think that he would have fallen this low…

But at the same time, no one but Oniwabanshu would use that title.

Okina knew it just as well as she did. There was no gain for a thug or ronin in claiming that title. Could she let this lead go? Could she turn her back to this small chance to find her long lost Aoshi-sama?

She had a name now: Kanryuu Takeda. There had been an incident, big enough to bring down a merchant and his opium cartel. Something like that would have given birth to rumours left and right. And for an informant, who was merely keeping their ear on the ground, these few things might be the best they could find out.

But Misao was a kunoichi of Oniwabanshu, the heir of the late Master and the adopted granddaughter of Okina-san. Despite her youth and her sheltered upbringing, she had been trained by the best. If she went there, if she dug around the abandoned manor and questioned the witnesses, she could find more.

Exhaling slowly, Misao clenched the note in her fist.

_I can’t give up. Not when there is even the slightest of chance… it’s still enough for me to act._

Misao held the stolen note over the candle, waiting it to catch the flame and left it to burn in her empty dinner bowl. Then she rummaged through her drawer for her kunoichi uniform, her armored gloves and knives and pulled them on. What she had saved of her weekly pocket money went into her sleeve purse. The nice pink cloak Omine-san had given her for a birthday present would keep her combat gear out of sight.

What else she would need?

Nothing.

After all, she was a kunoichi. What she couldn’t buy on the road, she could hunt or steal. Silent as a mouse, Misao sneaked out of the inn in the cover of darkness, leaving her family for the very first time.


End file.
